Dunno how many retro wargaming enthusiasts we have in our audience. I know Gareth and I definitely qualify, and I’d bet dollars to donuts that many of you at least recognize the name Ogre. If not, here’s my best off-the-cuff haiku:

In 1977, the original edition of Ogre was a young Steve Jackson’s first commercial game offering. I was two years old. Since that time, Ogre has been through five editions, and whispers of a sixth have been percolating among the Illuminati for years.

Now it’s here. Steve set out to fund the project on Kickstarter, seeking $20,000. As of today, they’re about to break $440K, with a week still to go. They keep blasting through their stretch goals, and the game they’re going to make keeps getting better and better as a result. [Thanks, MikeG!]

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c’t – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

Your Ogre shrinky dink article was my first Make bookmark and rekindled my interest in Steve Jackson’s game after many years. I’m very glad to say I’m supporting this project – at the $150 level – and in a small way you’re to blame. Thanks!

Sean Ragan

Thanks, Mike! =]

Mark

I bought the original game in it’s little ‘sandwich bag’ pack. I played while in the Army in West Berlin, that’s right WEST Berlin, that’s how old I am. A great game and I’ve been a Steve Jackson fan ever since.

Sean Ragan

Cool. Playing OGRE in an actual Cold War context would bring a whole new intensity to the game, I would think.

I always liked the metaphor of the game. The giant industrial power’s metaphorical “war machine” becomes, literally, a single titanic machine of war.